Qoros

Qoros Auto Co., Ltd.
joint venture
Industry Automotive
Founded Wuhu, Anhui, China,
December 2007
Headquarters Shanghai, China
Area served
 China
Key people
  • Chen Anning (President)
Products Automobiles
Owner Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. (50%)
Kenon Holdings (50%)
Website qorosauto.com/en/
Qoros
Simplified Chinese 观致汽车
Traditional Chinese 觀致汽車
Literal meaning Qoros Auto Co., Ltd.

Qoros Auto Co., Ltd. is an automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Shanghai, China. Its principal activity is the design, development, production and sale of passenger cars sold under the Qoros marque.

The company was established in 2007 as a joint venture between Chery and Israel Corporation. It develops vehicles that are differentiated in their design, safety, and connected services and that exhibit international standards of quality.[1] In December 2017, it ushered in a strategic investor Baoneng Group,[2] who secured a 51 percent stake in Qoros for 6.6 billion RMB.[3]

The first production model, the Qoros 3, made its first public appearance at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2013[4] and went on sale in China in November 2013.

Name

Qoros is an invented word. The Q is intended to represent quality, and the whole name to echo the Greek chorus, a collective voice in plays and music, reflecting the multinational nature of the company.[5]

History

Qoros Automotive Company was registered as a company in Wuhu, Anhui Province, China in December 2007.[6] The establishment of the company took place during a peak time in the development of China's automotive industry, following the country's joining the World Trade Organization and amid a phase of rapid growth in vehicle production and sales.[7]

Qoros opened an office in Shanghai in September 2008.

In October 2009, Qoros signed a cooperation agreement with Magna Steyr.[8]

In June 2010, Qoros relocated its production plant to Changshu Economic & Technological Development Zone following an in-depth appraisal.[9]

In October 2011, construction of the first prototype was completed.[10] A formal unveiling ceremony was held at Changshu, Jiangsu Province, China.[10]

Sales

2014

Sales in China commenced in December 2013, and by the first four months of 2014 the company had sold 1,490 Qoros 3 cars.[11] The sedan is to be joined by a hatchback version in July 2014. By August 2014, Qoros had sold 2,540 cars. Qoros is not expected to make a profit in the early years, "as is usual for beginning companies."[12]

The total sales for 2014, the company's first year of operation, was under 7,000 cars, far below its planned capacity for 150,000 cars. This led to a change in senior management, including the chairman Guo Qian replaced by Chery deputy president and Jaguar Land Rover board chairman Chen Anning.[13] In February 2015, the company announced a new CEO, former General Motors' executive Phil Murtaugh.[14] Murtaugh left the company after less than a year.[15]

2015

Over 2015, Qoros sold 14,000 cars.[16]

2016

In 2016, sales of Qoros cars increased by 70 percent, totalling 24,188 for the year.[17]

The company had planned to sell models in Europe, and piloted sales in Slovakia, but in April 2017 it formally announced that it had no plans to sell cars in Europe for the foreseeable future.[18]

Models

Qoros 3

In December 2011, the company released an image of its first prototype,[19] which made its first public appearance at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2013 with the Qoros 3 sedan pre-production model, together with the Qoros 3 Estate Concept and Qoros 3 Cross Hybrid Concept.[20]

In September 2013, the Qoros 3 achieved a five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash tests, making it the first ever Chinese car to achieve such a rating. It also received the highest score for safety of any car reviewed by Euro NCAP during 2013.[21]

In November 2015, the Qoros 5 was launched at the Guangzhou motor show in China, with sales commencing in March 2016.[22]

Qoros 5

The Qoros 5 is the second model of automobile from the Chinese manufacturer Qoros Auto, jointly (50%–50%) owned by Kenon Holdings and China's Chery Automobile Company.

The five-door CUV was launched at the Guangzhau Motor Show in November 2015.[23] Sales commenced in China early March 2016.

Concept models

At the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, Qoros displayed a concept electric bicycle called the eBIQE.[24]

The Qoros 2 was first displayed at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, a plug-in hybrid SUV.[25]

References

  1. ↑ "About Qoros Auto-Qoros Auto Official Site". www.qoros.com. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  2. ↑ "Baoneng Group's Strategic Investment into Qoros Auto Bring the Automaker into a New Era-Qoros Auto Official Site". www.qoros.com. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  3. ↑ "Qoros' new owner plans to be China's Tesla". Automotive News. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  4. ↑ "This is the Qoros 3". www.topgear.com. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  5. ↑ "Company". Qoros Auto. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  6. ↑ "Chery enters joint venture with Israel Corp". Auto Blog. 26 December 2007. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  7. ↑ "All-new Qoros brand to face fierce lineup of automakers". China Daily. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  8. ↑ "Chery and Magna Steyr join forces to penetrate Europe". Malaysia Automotive Institute. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  9. ↑ "奇瑞复活量子品牌项目 8月底可敲定品牌细节". Ichainnel. June 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  10. 1 2 "China's Chery launches new Qoros brand". Yahoo! Finance. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  11. ↑ Report – Qoros sells 1,490 cars in the first four months of 2014 Shrawan Raja, June 3, 2014
  12. ↑ Israel Corp. Qoros investment mounts Globes 27/08/2014, 18:47 Aviv Levy
  13. ↑ "Qoros CEO ousted due to poor sales - report". Globes. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  14. ↑ "Qoros hopes new CEO will boost sluggish sales". China Daily. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "Phil Murtaugh to resign as CEO of China's Qoros Automotive". Automotive News. 6 January 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  16. ↑ Qoros chief executive Phil Murtaugh to leave China-based carmaker Andy Sharman in London, January 6, 2016
  17. ↑ Qoros sales surge in 2016 By Li Fusheng, China Daily, 2017-02-03 16:51
  18. ↑ "Axe falls on Qoros plan to sell cars in Europe". Auto Express. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  19. ↑ "Qoros Automotive, A new Brand In The Global Market". Car Buzz. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  20. ↑ Madslien, Jorn (6 March 2013). "Geneva motor show: New car marque unveiled". BBC News. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  21. ↑ Finnerty, Joe (13 January 2014). "Safest car 2013: Euro NCAP crowns Qoros 3". Auto Express. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  22. ↑ "Qoros 5 SUV debuts at Guangzhou motor show". Auto Express. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  23. ↑ Wiltshire, Tom (23 November 2015). "Qoros 5 SUV debuts at Guangzhou motor show". Auto Express. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  24. ↑ "Qoros 3 Hatch, eBIQE Concept debut China". China Daily. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  25. ↑ "Qoros 2 SUV PHEV Concept unveiled at Shanghai motor show". Autocar. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
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